SEVERAL House lawmakers have filed bills seeking to prohibit producers and manufacturers of baby food from adding sugar to their products.
House Bill 10169 was filed by Caloocan 2nd District’s Rep. Mary Mitzi Cajayon Uy, while House Bill 10119 was filed by Cavite’s Rep. Crispin Diego Remulla.
“The World Health Organization has reported that baby food on market that generally contain too much sugar pose a source of health concern,” Cajayon-Uy said in her explanatory note.
Remulla’s bill, also known as the “No-Added Sugar on Baby Foods Act,” penalizes violations with a fine between P300,000 to P500,000 and/or imprisonment.
“The World Health Organization has consistently warned against the detrimental effects of added sugars in the diets of infants and young children, including a heightened risk of developing obesity, dental issues and type 2 diabetes later in life,” Remulla said in his own explanatory note.
Cajayon’s bill also has similar provisions.
Earlier this year, Sen. Imee Marcos filed a similar measure at the Senate.
Senate Bill No. 2518 — the proposed No-Added Sugar on Baby Foods Act, aims to prohibit manufacturers from adding sugar to babies’ food products.
“In a 2022 survey of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, around 27 million Filipinos are overweight and obese. For the past two decades, overweight and obesity among adults have almost doubled from 20.2% in 1998 to 36.6% in 2019. Similarly, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents have more than doubled from 4.9% in 2003 to 11.6% in 2018,” the bill’s explanatory note said.
“A recent study by the University of the Philippines found that young Filipinos are at a greater risk of obesity, due to the consumption of food that is energy-dense and nutrient-poor, exacerbated by growing urbanization and increased incomes,” it added. (ABS-CBN News)
